Wednesday, March 26, 2014

(Hartford, CT) On Saturday, March 22nd at Central CT State
University, 119 girls and 43 parents, teachers and caregivers were inspired by
a daylong conference focusing on STEM that included hands-on workshops for
6th-9th grade girls. The conference was
one of only 9 pilot programs around the country funded by AAUW and Praxair
Foundation and the first of its kind in CT.

The conference drew girls and their parents or teachers from as
far away as Bronx, NY and included girls from Hartford, Meriden and New
Britain, as well. Additional funding
support was provided by AAUW branches and individual members, Central CT State
University, Connecticut Space Grant Consortium and CWEALF who was a partner for
this project.

Girls could partake in workshops such as K’Nex Competition and
CSI: Tech Savvy. Meanwhile, the program for adults included topics such as Role
Models Matter and Financial Preparedness.

The day included a welcome by AAUW Tech Savvy founder Tamara
Brown of Praxair raffle prize drawings and a trivia scavenger hunt at the
College & Careers Corner and an inspirational address by keynote speaker
Riva Krut , Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer, Praxair, Inc.
who taught the girls to write down their dream and check in on it regularly.

“We were thrilled to see so many girls from so many backgrounds
get so excited about science, technology, engineering and math careers” stated
Donna Haghighat, CT Tech Savvy Committee Chair and Co-President of AAUW of CT.
“We had parents who came up to us after the day and said it isn’t ‘if’ you will
do it again but ‘when’ because they found the day so beneficial.” A committee consisting of professors from
University of Hartford, AAUW and CWEALF members as well as a corps of nearly 50
volunteers ensured the day’s success.

About AAUW

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy,
education, philanthropy, and research. Formerly known as the American Association
of University Women, AAUW is a nationwide network of more than 165,000 members
and donors, 1,000 branches, and 800college/university
partners. Since AAUW’s founding 130 years ago, its members have
examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day —
educational, social, economic, and political.

About Praxair Foundation

About CWEALF

Since 1973 CWEALF has worked to advance women's rights and
opportunities in Connecticut. To achieve this, CWEALF's work is divided into
three core programs:

Through these programs, CWEALF initiates services to educate and
empower women and girls to ensure they have the tools, knowledge and avenues to
reach their goals.

With special expertise in family law, sex discrimination in
employment and education, hate crimes and LGBT civil rights, CWEALF is
dedicated to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and low-income
people. As one of the oldest women's rights organizations in the country,
CWEALF is a vital resource to women and policy makers in Connecticut.

The
University and Dining Services announce renovations to Commons and Hawks Nest,
as well as new meal plans to be offered for the 2014-15 year.

Dining
Services is shelling out $7 to $10 million on the project, according to Bridgett
Stapleton, the resident director for ARAMARK.

Hawks
Nest and the lower level of Commons will close on Friday, March 14 for the
semester to begin the construction process. Hawks Nest will get new modern
finishes and a fireplace will be added.

Meals
similar to the Hawks Nest menu will be available in Commons between the hours of
8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Saturday
and Sundays.

Construction
in the Commons dining hall will begin on May 15 and are due to be finished by
mid-August.

Commons
will have new design finishes to the seating and equipment and a brick oven will
be built.

There
will be more seating available to accommodate the 2,500 students served daily.
The plan also includes a private dining area available to the student
body.

Other
changes to Commons will include, students being be able to watch the chef
prepare their meals in front of them and the “back of the house” kitchen area
will be reduced to provide for a larger serving area and guest seating.

An
allergen-free zone and pantry will be built for those with special diets as well
as an expanded bakery and kosher kitchen.

Beginning
in the fall, Commons will also extend their hours to 8pm Monday through Friday
and 7 p.m. on the weekend.

The
changes to the meal plan will feature new All-Access Plans and Block Plans.
All-Access Plans give students to enter Commons as many times as they would
like, while block plans will provide students with 200 or 100 meals per
semester. Students will still have the option to pay with dining dollars
instead.

Stapleton
also said that students influenced their decision to change meal plans.

“As
a result of numerous focus groups conducted last year,” said Stapleton. “We
found that students want more flexibility with how meals are used and do not
want to waste meals they cannot eat. The block plans allow students to use the
meals when they need them.

“All-access
plans are rather new to higher education. Many schools now offer this option. It
is especially good for students transitioning to the college
lifestyle.”

A
Subway will also be built on campus, sometime this summer or next year, the date
has not yet been confirmed because of the amount of other projects being taken
on.

A
fully licensed Starbucks that will have the entire menu and allow for students
to use gift cards from chain restaurants will be installed in the library during
the summer of 2015.

Professor Hemchandra Shertukde from the ECE Department in the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) is presenting a Draft #2 of User's Guide for Distributed Photo Voltaic (DPV) Grid Transformers at the IEEE Transformer Committee Meeting in Savannah, Ga., from March 24-27, 2014. He is also the Chair of this Working Group for IEEE-TC.

This work extends the basis of Shertukde's newly published and available for purchase book, Distributed Photovoltaic Grid Transformers, by CRC Press, A Taylor and Francis Group. To purchase the book, or for more details, go to CRCPress.com or amazon.com.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Architectural historian Charles Benson will lecture on the life and work of Antoni Gaudi, the great Barcelona architect and the designer of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, on Monday, March 24, at 4 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Visitors are welcome to park in Visitor Lots D and K.See the complete schedule for the spring semester Architecture Lecture Series.

The lecture series is made possible through the JCJ Architecture Endowment of the University of Hartford Department of Architecture.

Click here for instructions and a complete registration schedule for full-time undergraduate students.
Registration for graduate and part-time undergraduate students begins Friday, April 4. Graduate students and part-time undergraduates may also register by mail or fax using the form included in the General Information section of the Fall 2014 Schedule of Classes. Mail-in and fax registrations are not available to full-time undergraduates.

Students who want to register online must obtain a Registration PIN from their advisors beforehand. Students who want to register online for Summerterm classes may do so using the generic PIN: 123456.
Students with questions should contact the Student Administrative Services Center at 860.768.4999 or sasc@hartford.edu.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The ConnecticutCenter for Advanced
Technology, Inc. (CCAT) is a non-stock, tax-exempt corporation incorporated in
May 2004 and is funded under federal and state sponsored grants to develop a
national center that addresses military and civilian industrial manufacturing
needs; promotes energy planning and policy initiatives; stimulates innovation;
and enhances workforce development issues concerning technology
competitiveness.

CCAT is seeking an intern for the Advanced Manufacturing
Center (AMC).

Position Title: AMC Intern

Job Description:
The AMC Intern reports to the Director, Advanced
Manufacturing Center (AMC) and will support the AMC staff in their mission to
improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers. Specifically tasks to support new &
on-going projects in the AMC related to precision machining and additive
manufacturing (3D printing of metals & plastics). A primary project will be defined and the
intern will brief the CCAT staff on this project at completion.

The American Savings Foundation is accepting applications for the Robert T. Kenney Scholarship, which awards more than $700,000 to about 400 students attending college in the state. Information on the scholarship is below.
To access more information and an application, go to www.asfdn.org.DEADLINE: March 31.

You should apply to the Robert T. Kenney Scholarship Program at the American Savings Foundation if:

You are a current high school senior, a current college student, or a nontraditional adult student

Next year, you plan to attend an accredited community college, four-year college or university, or a technical/vocational program in the United States.

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Monday, March 10, 2014

The Emeriti Association of the University of Hartford is offering two $1,000 awards for the academic year 2014–2015.Applications for the awards are due by March 25, 2014.
The awards, given annually to University of Hartford undergraduate students, are based on the following criteria:
a) The student is selected based on scholarly achievement. A student’s Grade Point Average of at least 3.25 is the minimum expected for consideration by the selection committee.
b) The candidate must also provide evidence of activities which contribute to the betterment of the University of Hartford or the community at large.
c) The applicant must be an undergraduate in any of the colleges at the University of Hartford for at least one semester. Applicants should be entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year as a full-time student in the Fall 2014 semester.
d) A successful applicant may seek renewal of the prize for one or more years, provided all the criteria for eligibility, stated above, are satisfied; however, every effort will be made to rotate the award among the various colleges of the University.
The awards are being promoted through the Office of Student Services in each of the colleges of the University. The awards for the 2014–15 academic year will be announced in May 2014, once the selection committee’s decision has been ratified.
To apply for an award, students must submit an application to Virginia Hale, the executive secretary of the Emeriti Association, outlining their qualifications for consideration. There is no application form; to apply, students should submit in hard copy:
- A letter of application (no more than 2 pages) including school, major, level
- Your goals and objectives, and any special information pertaining to scholarship and service. Indicate the names of your reference.
- A resume (must be no more than one page in length)
- Two letters of recommendation from the applicant’s advisor or other faculty members.
A committee of Emeriti faculty members, appointed by the chairman of the Emeriti Association, shall evaluate all applications and recommend two students for the awards. The committee represents a diversity of faculty disciplines.Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. on March 25, 2014. Submit all materials by intercampus mail to Virginia Hale, A&S, A204. (860.768.4201).

It all started in 2006, when Professor Saleh Keshawarz returned to his native Afghanistan to look for ways to improve engineering education at Herat University. Keshawarz and his colleagues, ProfessorsIvana Milanovic and Hisham Alnajjar, discovered most of Herat’s faculty only had bachelor’s degrees and could benefit from a master’s-level education. A lack of technology made distance learning impossible, so the team applied for grants to bring Herat’s faculty to Hartford. Less than three years later, six of these faculty members graduated from UHart with master’s degrees in civil engineering. Several others graduated the following years.

Beth Richards, director of UHart’s Department of Rhetoric and Professional Writing, has also contributed to the partnership. She made two trips to Afghanistan in 2008 to teach English to engineering students at Herat.

“The faculty’s English skills were quite good,” Richards told Prism, “but their students’ abilities varied wildly.” Richards developed a textbook to try to help the faculty address this gap. Once she returned to Hartford, she acted as a mentor to female engineering students. Source: http://www.hartford.edu/news/press-releases/2014/03/AfghanistanPartnership.aspx

Friday, March 7, 2014

ENHP's Institute for Translational Research is proud to announce the third annual Connecticut Conference on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to be held at the Connecticut Science Center on Monday, October 6, 2014.University faculty and students are invited to submit proposals for this year's conference.
Suggested presentation topics include but are not limited to:
- An innovative practice from your classroom - Success in STEM education through partnerships with community agencies - A particular project or unit of study that has yielded notable student work - Formative or summative assessments you have used effectively - Results of research you have conducted on STEM education - Leadership strategies to support STEM in your school or district - Curricula you have piloted or adopted focused on STEM education - Strategies for integrating STEM into other subject areas - Ways you have incorporated Common Core, Next Generation, etc. in your teaching

Request for Proposal Form must be submitted by April 7, 2014.
This year's keynote will be given by Ellen Doris, educator and author of Doing What Scientists Do: Children Learn to Investigate Their World.

If you are interested in attending, please save the date (Monday October 6, 2014). Registration begins in May through the Connecticut Science Center's 2014 Connecticut STEM Conference site.The Connecticut STEM Conference is sponsored by the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions Institute for Translational Research and community partners Hartford Public Schools, Saint Francis Care, East Hartford Public Schools, West Hartford Public Schools, and the Connecticut Science Center.

Ian Shapiro, PE, LEED AP, will lecture on “Building Shape: A Frontier in Green Design,” on Monday, March 10, at 4 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium.

Shapiro, who is a mechanical engineer, is the head of Taitem Engineering (which stands for “Technology as if the Earth Mattered”).

The lecture is free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to park in Visitor Lots K and D.
The Architecture Lecture Series is made possible through the JCJ Architecture Endowment of the University of Hartford Department of Architecture.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Coming up on April 15, WELFund, with assistance from the Student Alumni Association, Career Services, and the Hartford Art School Photography Department, will host a seminar at 5:30 p.m. in Konover on using LinkedIn for your professional benefit.

The seminar is free to all students (with valid ID) and only $10 for faculty and staff (payment made at the door). The session includes a presentation by speaker and professor of communications and social media, Joseph Catrino.The presentation will include best practices for a perfect LinkedIn profile and how to make your best impression to get noticed by potential employers.

All attendees will also receive an opportunity for professional headshots taken by Hartford Art School photography students (digital files will be sent to attendees via email).

Walks-ins are welcome but preregistration is strongly encouraged. Those that preregister will receive a designated time for their headshots and will be able to skip the registration line!

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 15. (Headshots will be taken from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., presentation by Joesph Catrino will take place from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., and last-minute headshots will take place from 7:15 to 7:45 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

The American Savings Foundation is accepting applications for the Robert T. Kenney Scholarship, which awards more than $700,000 to about 400 students attending college in the state. Information on the scholarship is below.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Applications are now being solicited for the University’s annual Graduate Research/Creativity Symposium.

The purpose of the symposium is to showcase the wide variety of original scholarship (e.g., research projects, case studies, artistic performances, exhibits) conducted by graduate students at the University of Hartford. Presentations must be in the form of posters or other materials that can be displayed on tables or in the form of short performances, as appropriate.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, to Frederick Sweitzer, Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, CC 311. No late applications will be accepted. Applicants will be notified of their status in late April.

Graduate students can pick up applications in the offices of their college deans or graduate directors or online on the Graduate Dean's website.

The symposium will take place on Wednesday, April 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the 1877 Club.

For further information, contact Dean Sweitzer at sweitzer@hartford.edu or 860.768.4504.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Cheer on the men's and women's basketball teams as they compete for the America East Championships — and automatic spots in the upcoming NCAA Tournaments — March 7–10 in Albany, N.Y.

The bus trips to the America East Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are FREE for students, along with game tickets, food, and a Hawks giveaway! (Tickets courtesy of Athletics, bus courtesy of SGA)

Dr. Clara
Fang, associate professor of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and
Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering, Technology, and
Architecture, was recently awarded a $101,633
research grant from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Connecticut
Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) to study traffic operations of
roundabouts. The
grant will exam driver behavior at roundabouts, model traffic in a computer
simulation environment and develop guidelines to improve roundabout
planning and design. Several roundabouts
in Connecticut (see the Figure) representing various traffic circling
characteristics and geometric features are selected for the study.

Fang will
collaborate with Dr. Jim Mahoney, Director of Connecticut Transportation
Institute at University of Connecticut. The project
will fund two engineering undergraduates and two graduate students at
University of Hartford through summer internships and graduate assistantships.
The students will work closely with ConnDOT engineers performing field data
collection at various roundabouts with advanced computerized video equipment in
the summer of 2014. They will process
field data, measure driving performance parameters from video footage and apply
computer simulation modeling to analyze design and traffic characteristics of
roundabouts in the University of Hartford’s civil engineering laboratory.
The study results will be used directly in the design and planning of roundabouts
in Connecticut. The project strengthens
the ties of the University of Hartford with the Connecticut Department of
Transportation and the University of Connecticut.